


Spirited Away

by akire_yta



Series: prompt ficlets [535]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 03:38:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13849296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: for the TAG Valentine's Day swap for  @countessofsnark





	Spirited Away

“I’ve always loved Miyazaki,” John tells her as Ridley steps easily over the low coffee table to claim the spot next to John. She takes it a mark of how far they’ve come that he flips his blanket over to cover both of them with an graceful shift of limbs.  “I can’t believe you haven’t seen them.  We’re doing the entire box set tonight,” he adds, smiling easily.

“Why am I not surprised you’re an anime geek,”she teases as she settles the bowl of popcorn on her lap, in easy reach of both of them.

John winces, and Ridley keeps her eyes firmly on the screen; she’s learned the hard way that whenever she runs across a sore spot, John will tell her why.  As long, that is, as she doesn’t push.  “Not all anime, really.  Mostly Miyazaki.”

“This  _is_  gorgeous,” Ridley agrees, nodding to the glorious play of light and colour on the ridiculously large screen that dominates John’s underused living room.

John lets the story unfurl a little more before he speaks again.  “Yeah.  But I remember, being small.  Curled up on the couch, like this,” he adds, and his arm around her shoulders is so smooth she damn near applauds.”And watching Sophie, and Kiki, and the Princess,” he says, nodding at the screen.  “And each time feeling for like it was…like, this was me.  I could relate to them. They saw the world like I saw the world.”

Ridley’s only been half-paying attention to the plot, but she’s picked up enough to of the fantasy and whimsy to raise an eyebrow at him.

John takes the silent rebuke with a smile that brings colour to pale cheeks.  “Ok, no Toxic Jungles or timeless cities, I’ll grant you that.  But…” Ridley risks another look, lingering to watch John stare, captivated by the world on screen.  “It was the first time I really  _believed_ that the world was a big adventure, and one you could explore all by yourself.”  He tilts his head to look her in the eye.  “In a big family, believe me, that’s a fantasy worth having.”

Ridley’s an only child; she can only chuckle and nestle in closer to John.  “You know you’re not alone, right?”

Ridley’s come to cherish these times, when John feels relaxed enough with her to press a warm kiss on her temples.  “That’s the joy of Miyazaki, Rids,” he murmurs in her ear.  “It’s all about the friends you fall in love with along the way.”

Her heart skips a beat as John puts the popcorn onto the table to pull her more closely against his chest.  She starts to doze, smiling as John begins to recite along with every line.


End file.
